Question:
Do you think that you would lose a lot of weight following adkins & never had surgery
I'm planning on having the surgery (I've already started my pre op testing and all to make sure I'm a candidtate.). I hear so much about this adkins diet thing, and I hear a lot of post ops doing it. I wonder to the post ops, do you think you would have lost the weight regardless of the surgery? I'm still having that battle with myself. Is it possible that I can truly lose the weight with adkins? How successful were any of you with adkins before surgery (or even post op). — tinky471 (posted on May 19, 2003)
May 19, 2003
Without surgery NO WAY!:(<P> I did atkins as my last diet. Lost 23
pounds and got abnormal kidney functions. Quit atkins gained the weight
back FAST:( Sure do a last diet while your in pre op testing. But if your
like nearly all of us this diet any diet will fail. Even a 5 pound loss
will help make surgery and recovery easier.
— bob-haller
May 19, 2003
You bet you can lose weight with Atkins, actually any diet you can lose
weight on. Its keeping it off that is the problem. I think
"diets" are great for the normal overweight person, but the MO
needs lots more than a diet. I follow the Atkins now(3 yrs post op) when I
gain 3 pounds. Its a good high protein diet for a short term. I can last
about 3-4 days on it. Try it, it doesn't hurt to lose weight before
surgery anyway. I think before you have surgery you should KNOW that it is
your last resort. Good Luck!
— ZZ S.
May 19, 2003
With any Diet I tried (and I tried most) the problem wasn't the diet, or
losing weight. The problem was "Just this time" and "Just
this weekend"... Just this time I will have the chocolate cake... Just
this weekend I can be eat normally (ie, like a pig). "Just this
time" turned into "Just this Weekend" and "Just this
weekend" turned into weeks or months. Now, there are no meals or days
off (unless I want to be very sick, and frankly, no food is worth that).
— [Deactivated Member]
May 19, 2003
I did the low carb diet for about 1 1/2 years. I lost about 35 lbs, kept
it off for most of that time. I finally came to realize my problems were
bigger than any diet could ever remedy. WLS was the answer for me.
— koogy
May 19, 2003
Sure, I would have lost weight on Atkins...and, did. However, I gained it
back. WLS is for the MO. It is a tool that will help me keep the weight
off....something, Atkins (or, any other plan) never did for me. Best of
luck to you.
— teresa M.
May 19, 2003
You can definitely lose the weight but I'd be willing to bet you couldn't
keep it off. I never could. Now, being nearly 3 years post op I keep the
weight off by focusing on protein and lightly adhering to an Atkins type
plan. I don't diet - I just focus on protein first!
— ronascott
May 19, 2003
Absolutely, you can lose weight with Atkins. You can also lose weight with
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Lindora, Fit for Life, Cambridge, cabbage
soup and grapefruit. But as we've all experienced, these eating plans are
great for the folks who have to lose less than 50 pounds. When you have to
lose 100+ pounds, no weight loss plan will get you that far and help you
manage to keep it off -- except for a rare few individuals. I think
following a low carb, moderate protein eating plan is a great idea
pre-surgery to see how you manage such a plan. Maybe I've just grown
cynical after 25 years of dieting, but none of these plans are geared for
the morbidly obese.
— antiques55
May 19, 2003
I couldn't stay on it pre-op. I never got past a week. Now I can.
— mom2jtx3
May 19, 2003
It's a hard diet to stay on and unless you plan on totally committing
yourself to it for the rest of your life then it won't work. That was the
last diet I was on (again) and for two weeks straight. I lost 7lbs and
gained back double when I decided I couldn't take it anymore.
Losing weight is one thing... keeping it off is another. I guess Atkins
works for wls patients because your body changes so much and you can't and
don't want those carbs and sugars anymore. With a tool like wls it makes it
possible to make healthier choices.
— Sherri M.
May 19, 2003
Hi Terri- I did "mostly" Atkins for 3 and a half months and lost
22 pounds. What I mean by mostly Atkins is that I would allow 1 meal a
week for whatever I wanted. That way, if there was a party, camping, etc,
I could eat what everyone else was having. I lost 22 pounds.....but
couldn't stay on it and gained it back plus 10 pounds more. I feel that
because I am so heavy, Atkins wasn't enough of a tool by itself for me. I
feel that compared to WLS, Atkins (or Weight Watchers, Slimfast, Jenny
Craig, etc) is a screwdriver but surgery will be a POWER DRILL! Good
Luck:o)
— Mea A.
May 19, 2003
Absolutely NOT!!! Couldn't stay on Atkins more than 3 weeks. Gained all
the lost weight back, and much more!!!
— Fixnmyself
May 19, 2003
Thank you guys so much for your responses. My dad is having a fit with me
and this surgery. I know I need this surgery and I know that this is
something I have to do for me. That's why I want the surgery, not so much
to help me lose the weight (although that's a benefit) but also to help me
maintain the loss. I know that I have to work at it but the surgery will
aide me with the hunger, etc. I told him if I lost 50lbs between now and
the surgery date (around September) then I know I wouldn't need it. I
already know that's not possible for the simple fact that my weight loss
now is extremely slow and now I'm having life threatening co-morbidities
(ie, sleep apnea). At least this way, if I don't lose the 50 pounds, he
can't argue about the surgery. Hopefully it'll give him some peace of mind
:).
— tinky471
May 19, 2003
Terri, I definately could not have. I've done it before and it worked, but
I gained the weight back. WW was a wonderful plan, too, heck I did that
like 5 different times- all the same results. I, as pretty much all others
who have WLS, need the restrictions. I physically cannot eat too much-
which is good for me b/c I lack alot of self-control. Also, atkins
long-term is not healthy. SO while you can do it to lose weight, if you
were to stay on it simply to maintain weight- you'd end up with kidney
problems and heart problems- believe someone below mentioned that happened.
What we need is not "diets" but healthy ways of living. So you
have to determine that for yourself in the end if WLS is worth it. To me,
it was worth everything! Goodluck to you :-)
— Lezlie Y.
May 19, 2003
Introduce you dad to a post op who has lost a 100 pounds. That should help
explain things.
— bob-haller
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